Capturing Daylight
by Pikafuey
Summary: *Prequel to Stray, better summary on the inside* Before Stray's remarkable story in the twolegplace, an older story was written. A story that led Stray on the biggest adventure of her life: A story of hope. Join Stray from the very beginning of her life and learn the secrets behind the mysterious she-cat we all know and love.
1. Prologue

******A/N: Well, I finally made the Prequel to Stray! :D If you want, feel free to read the detailed summary:**

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**_Alone...  
Rejected...  
Forgotten...  
These were the words often used to describe a stray. For one young she-cat in particular, this was her life's motto. With nowhere to go and no one to go to, traveling the streets seems to be the only option. Follow Stray on her journey as she learns there's more to life then meets the eye..._**

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**Prologue**

When we grow, without seeing the life before us blossom, our life isn't truly complete. The world I saw before me was full of gloom and darkness—as if the world itself was evil. This wasn't the case, but during those times, it was hard to see anything with any sort of optimism. For as long as I can remember, I saw life as a deep, dark, abyss; something we couldn't escape from no matter how hard we tried. It wasn't until later—when it was too late—that I realized life was beautiful. The world goes on everyday, flowers still blossom and the sun still rises and sets, but how much of that do we take for granted? Just how much of this are we ungrateful for?

I admit, I once took all of this for granted and disregarded it as nothing. Only now, do I truly regret not living my life the way it should have been lived—with happiness. I watched as everyone around me moved on and lived their lives. It took all I had to keep myself together. However, when I saw the one thing that had kept me going, I suddenly found my reason to exist.

To me, this was capturing the daylight in the dark abyss I had been trapped in. I finally found the hope I had been searching for. This was my daylight.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Mama's dark blue eyes were set outside, her soft gray fur neatly groomed—her fluffy gray tail wrapped around us protectively. It had only been a couple of days since my littermates and I opened our eyes for the first time. I stared at my mother, awed by her beautiful, soft, and smokey gray fur. _Do I look like her?_ I wondered, craning my head around to see my back. _Whoops! Too far!_ I gasped, falling over sideways with a surprised squeak. Mama turned her gaze on me, and then back outside once she realized I was okay.

"What was _that_?" a teasing purr came from my sister, a tortoiseshell with two front white paws.

My brother laughed, his fluffy gray fur puffed out. "You looked like an owl!"

I fluffed out my fur in embarrassment, shifting my paws. "I was trying to see myself!" I squeaked.

Pushing my brother playing with her paw, my sister purred. "You look a porcupine with your fur all puffed out like that!" her whiskers twitched with amusement. "I'm related to wild animals!"

"Who are you calling a wild animal?" I growled playfully, pouncing on her. We rolled around the soft floor of our bramble den, squeaking with delight. Mama walked over to us then, gently nosing us apart. Nudging us into the nest, she curled her tail around the three of us.

I blinked up at her. "Mama?" I mewed.

Looking at me, Mama sighed. "Yes, little one?"

"When is Papa going to visit?" I asked innocently. Confused at the dark and solemn gaze in my mother's blue eyes, I pressed on. "He still loves us...doesn't he?"

Shifting in the nest—as if uncomfortable—my mother laid her head down. "It's best to get some rest now, little one," she murmured.

Bewildered by my mother's shift in personality, I snuggled beside her. _Papa will come soon. I know it! Then Mama will be happy again!_ I thought with a smile, closing my eyes. With autumn slowly shifting to winter, I yawned sleepily. I knew that in the end, spring would finally come—and melt away Mama's sadness. Fading into the rhythm of my littermates steady breathing, I fell asleep.

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"Wait up!" I squeaked, padding after my two littermates.

It had been less then two weeks since me and my littermates first opened our eyes. Today would be the first time we ventured out of our den, excitement was tingling in our paws. My sister spun around to face me, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Well come on then!" she huffed. "Mama said we could go out on our own. Don't spoil it!"

My brother nudged me forward. "Go on. This is our first time outside, don't be scared." he reassured me.

"Scared?" I scoffed. "As if!"

Laughing, he pushed past me and our sister towards the outside. I started forward too, the cool autumn breeze blowing against my fur, the sun shining down on us. My mother was watching us from the den, her soft gray fur even lighter against the sunlight. Looking ahead, I could see my world stretched out in front of me. We were in an abandoned field, old twoleg structures shadowing overhead. The grass was turning brown from the cold as old bushes around us began to drop their leaves. My two littermates squeaked as they play fought behind me, rolling in the dirt. Flicking my ears, I swept my gaze at the world ahead of us.

This is my world. The world I was fortunate enough to be born into. Or, so I thought.


End file.
